: Unlocking Potential Using High-Quality Data to Guide Teaching Strategies

We’ve all been there — a staff meeting that you’ve sat through before and feel is a bit of a waste of your precious time. There are just so many other things you could be doing. Well, the same can be said for pupils who, at times, sit through previously taught learning and realistically spend that time thinking about all the other things they could be doing.

In literacy, understanding each pupil’s unique capabilities and learning needs ensures that they don’t spend their time bored and staring out of the window. Instead, with high-quality data, we have a detailed map of where each student stands — what they’ve mastered, and what they need to focus on next — making each lesson feel purposeful and engaging.

The role of summative assessment is to measure student learning at the conclusion of a unit by comparing it to a set standard or benchmark. In our setting, this might be the end-of-unit ​‘warm writes’, assessed against end-of-year expectations, or termly reading assessments that highlight fluency or comprehension gaps. Similarly, The Simple View of Reading can help diagnose strengths and pinpoint areas — decoding or language comprehension — to focus on next.

Formative assessments, however, are where the real power lies. These frequent, informal checks allow us to make responsive decisions about our teaching. In writing, this could look like conferencing — a short one-to-one discussion where a teacher can celebrate a pupil’s strengths, identify specific next steps, and give feedback that has immediate impact. These conferences provide rich, meaningful data that can’t be captured by tick sheets or levels — they reflect real understanding.

This links directly to the EEF’s Improving Primary Literacy recommendation to Target teaching and support by accurately assessing pupil needs. Formative strategies — like conferencing, strategic questioning, peer and self-assessment — allow us to pinpoint understanding and move pupils forward at precisely the right time. It’s not about rehearsing what they already know; it’s about targeting what they need next.

When we tap into accurate, detailed literacy data, we can make smart decisions that meet the unique needs of our pupils — boosting learning, shaping instruction, and using time effectively. And just as importantly, we keep our pupils switched on and engaged, rather than staring out the window.